An evil plan thwarted, and an innocent bird saved. All in a day's work. Now, with the blessing of Mr. Stone and Mr. Briney, you're off to have a look at the seaside town of Dewford. It's the home of the second Pokémon Gym on your Hoenn trip, and this one can be quite a bit more difficult than the first if you aren't prepared to battle fighting-types. Just sayin'.

Dewford

- Briney will pop you out by a dock. You can speak to him to return to Route 104 any time you like. Note that this path between towns is only available until you gain the HM move Surf, at which point you’ll have to swim along Route 105 instead.

- There’s not a whole lot to see in Dewford, admittedly. Pop into the house right beside the dock and a man inside will give you a Silk Scarf, then check the house in the north for… trending. Huh. Silly. (What the devil is a Potion Festival?) If you check in the southeast corner of town you’ll find a fisherman lingering by the beach; speak to him and he’ll give you an Old Rod. You can use Rods to fish pokémon out of the sea, though Old Rods are… not… great. In that regard. (They’re better than they used to be, however. Magikarp every time? Not anymore. Try it right now and you'll likely snag a Tentacool instead, which isn't a terrible catch for the next Gym.)

- As ever, you’ll want to use the Pokémon Center for healing before you enter the last building in Dewford… because…

May steps into the Dewford City Gym. The Gym is deceptively straightforward.

Dewford Pokémon Gym

Dewford’s Pokémon Gym Challenge is rather interesting. The gym itself is fairly straightforward, but its side corridors cloaked in a perpetual darkness, save for any time you step onto a button. Stepping onto the buttons will temporarily illuminate increasingly-complex paths to the left and right of the main path, and you’ll have to stumble through them to reach the end of the Gym. Dewford’s Gym is populated by fighting-type pokémon which can shred normal-types; if you have a flying-type in your party (or psychic, if you spent enough time looking for and training a Ralts earlier), you’ll find this a fairly easy gym. Grass-types are also good, as fighting-type moves don’t hit them terribly hard.

(If you find this gym too difficult, head north out of Dewford. There’s a cave location up here that can provide some handy experience for tackling Dewford Gym, as well as some pokémon that aren’t too bad at taking on fighting-types… assuming you stay away from the rock-type inside. Rock-types have no place against fighting-types.)

- Head straight north. Your first trainer awaits.

Battle Girl Laura

Meditite, level 13

Reward: $416

Your first encounter with a Meditite! These are pretty common. Not too bad, overall; stick to flying-type moves. (Honestly, a half-decent Taillow can handle most of this gym on its own. Same for a Ralts.)

- After winding through the path Laura was guarding you’ll be forced into a battle with another trainer.

Black Belt Hideki

Machop, level 13

Reward: $416

Eh, no big deal. Machops hit hard, but they can’t take hits in return at all, particularly if you use a special move like Confusion.

- Another maze awaits, though it’s not much more difficult than the last. On the other side…

Battle Girl Tessa

Meditite, level 11

Machop, level 11

Reward: $$352

The last two battles combined, in essence. Easy stuff.

- One last section. The right side of the maze here is utterly useless, and should be ignored. Wind through the left maze. It will guide you to a final room…

Brawly, the leader of the Dewford Town Gym.

Gym Leader Brawly

Machop, level 14

Makuhita, level 16

Reward: $1,920, TM08

This guy is rough if you can’t target his weaknesses. Brawly’s pokémon are a fairly substantial step up from their counterparts earlier in the gym, and if you don’t have flying- or psychic-type moves you’ll probably find this to be a difficult fight. A big part of this stems from Brawly’s Super Potions, which he uses often to restore his pokémon. Bulk Up, Brawly’s signature move, is also very annoying if used a few times in succession. Use status ailments (anything that paralyzes, such as Stun Spore) to stall his pokémon before chipping away at them with your best attacks. Makuhita will be the biggest troublemaker here; try to wipe it out in a single hit by targeting a weakness, as it gets very tough with Bulk Up and repeated Arm Thrusts.

Defeating Brawly will earn you the Knuckle Badge, allowing you to control pokémon up to level 30. You’ll also also get TM08, which contains the ever-annoying Bulk Up. It’s a great choice for any pokémon that relies on physical might, such as any tanks in your party.